Here is our newsletter for May as text. The next email has it as an attachment .rtf file which can be opened in most word processing programs. So if you can open the attachment, please delete this email because the formatting is quite poor in plain text!

Our meeting is set for 6:30 pm this next Tuesday night, May 28th. We will be at the Monroe High School Commons in the Lower Long Tom sub-basin. See you there!

Dana EricksonCoordinator541.683.6578

NEWSLETTER CONTENTS

1) AGENDA (DIRECTIONS are in first few lines)2) COMMENTS REQUESTED ON COORDINATOR'S PERFORMANCE3) CALENDAR OF EVENTS4) UPDATE ON PROJECTS & MONITORING 4a. Two project grants received 4b. Small grants soon to be available5) EDUCATION AND OUTREACH 5a. Thanks for helping with Fern Ridge Clean-up! 5b. Article: Watersheds Part of your backyard6) WAYS TO HELP 6a. Lane County Fair Booth! 6b. 11th Annual Amazon Appreciation Day 6c. Do you have western pond turtles on your land?7) ANNOUNCEMENTS - Technical meeting Willamette State of the Knowledge Summit - Quarterly groundwater meeting new date8) FREE WORKSHOP - Developing and Conducting Effective Education and Outreach Programs9) MINTUES FROM APRIL COUNCIL MEETING

To meetings in Lower Long Tom at Monroe High School Commons:On any Oregon or area map, you'll see Monroe is on Highway 99W, in between Corvallis and Junction City. The High School is at the north end of town, right on that main highway. It sits on the east side of the road. The Commons is the building on the north side of the main school - it has orange doors and you can't miss it. The parking lot is in between the two buildings.

8:10 * The future of the Watershed... (continued)* 3 possible futures for growth in our part of the Willamette Basin (15 min) David Hulse, UO Landscape ArchitectureNote: Dr. Hulse has video images showing a segment of the Long Tom watershed and the Willamette River between Junction City and Eugene historically (circa 1850), currently, and for three potential future scenarios based on what decisions are made.

Next month the Council's Contract Review Team will meet to discuss Dana's performance over the course of the last six months. At this meeting the group will review and compare work priorities and accomplishments to date.The time has come to share your feedback. Please contact me with your comments and assessment of Dana's performance as coordinator of the Council. Is the Council "on-track" with its work priorities for this year? Do work priorities support and mirror the current Council's action plan as you understand it? Under Dana's coordination - Does the Council function in accordance with the expectations of its members?I look forward to reading your comments, please respond by June 7.Jason BlazarLong Tom Watershed Council Steering Committee, at-large memberPO Box 24923Eugene, OR 97402Email: blazar1@mindspring.com

Project: Historic Coyote Creek Bottomland Hardwood Forest and Native Prairie RestorationTotal Received: $12,291.00 Total Cost of Project: $32,031.00Summary: Second phase of restoration of riparian bottomland hardwood forest along historic branch of Coyote Creek. This will also include restoration of an adjacent 20 acres of current ag. land to native prairie and oak savanna. The first phase restored a riparian area along a nearby section of the creek and re-established hydrologic connection between two formerly disconnected segments of historic Coyote Creek. This project is part of a long term plan to restore 100 acres of agricultural land to historic native habitat.

Project: Bergey Wetland Restoration**For this project, we partnered with East Lane SWCD they will take the lead role on the project.Total Received: $59,506.00 Total Cost of Project: $160,081.00Summary: This project will restore 215 acres of farmed wetland to wet prairie, emergent wetland and oak savanna. These seasonal wetlands will be managed for wintering, roosting, and nesting habitat for various migratory resident wildlife species. In addition habitat will be enhanced for several state listed sensitive amphibian and reptile species known to reside near the proposed project site. The result of this restoration project will be to increase the diversity of wetland habitat within this region.

Look for a more detailed summary in the June 2002 newsletter.

4b)SMALL GRANTS SOON TO BE AVAILABLE

There is a new program being set up right now to make small grants available for watershed restoration projects that cost less than $10,000 and cover some priority types of projects. The Upper Willamette West small grant team has just been approved by OWEB to receive the funds. This will be a cooperative effort between Long Tom Watershed Council, Marys River Watershed Council, Benton Soil and Water Conservation District, and East Lane Soil and Water Conservation District. More details will be forthcoming in our next newsletter!

Thanks to the small grant team members for working to set up this program:Dennis Todd from Long Tom Watershed CouncilPaul Reed from East Lane Soil and Water Conservation DistrictDonna Schmitz and Tom Bedell of Benton Soil and Water Conservation DistrictSandra Coveny and Members of the Marys River Watershed Council

On May 18th we had 24 volunteers took time out of their Saturday to come down to Orchard Point and Richardson Park and help Lane County Parks prepare their parks for the summer season. Volunteers picked up brush, edged out horseshoe pits and volleyball courts, removed stumps and logs from the waters edge, and picked up trash around the park. Some volunteers were in canoes picking up trash from under the water and helping to pull out larger logs along the shoreline that were too far from the shore's edge to be pulled in. We collected over 3000 pounds of trash and debris.

It is a great thing to have people giving of their time energy to help out! After all of the hard work we sat down to eat lunch off the barbecue. For this we would like to give a special thanks to Ray's Market of Veneta for providing food for the event.

Thank You also to:

J.H. Baxter Co.University of Oregon Students Long Tom Watershed Council members Students from local schools and their parentsLocal school teachersThe Kiwanis ClubRay's Market

Those mentioned above either volunteered that day or played some other vital part of making this day worthwhile. Please forgive me if I left anyone out.

5b) WATERSHEDS: PART OF YOUR BACKYARDAn article for our column in the West Lane News and Tri County NewsAdapted from John Inskeep Environmental Learning Center Newsletter

Behold the small town dweller, showing self-reliance and thriftiness. Saturday morning, a young couple changes the engine oil in their driveway. When finished, they get out a bucket and sponge and give the car a thorough washing with plenty of strong detergent. To finish, they hose the suds and oil down the driveway and into the gutter.In a nearby yard, two gardeners take inventory of their plants. Realizing their plants have fungus, they spray everything in the yard with fungicide at twice its recommended strength. Is this really safe to use?These are common scenarios in our urban and community neighborhoods. We don't give much thought to where the suds go, or what happens to the chemicals we use on our garden plants, lawns, and trees. They go away, don't they?We've learned that discarded bottles, cans, plastics, and paper products don't "go away." Unless properly recycled, they fill our landfills and litter our streets. In much the same way, the products we use around the house don't go away. They wash into storm drains and flow into our creeks, streams, and rivers. Most of this stormwater runoff isn't treated at all before it enters our waterways.Many people may be unaware of the path taken by stormwater as it travels through our neighborhoods. That grate at the end of the block, the ditch along the grocery store parking lot, the culvert under the highway all carry stormwater away from buildings and paved areas into rivers and streams. A surprising discovery is that most of this untreated stormwater goes directly into the rivers that supply drinking water to people and wildlife, and recreational opportunities for boating and swimming.The way we conduct business in our own home, yard, and work environment can make a difference. When applying chemicals in your home, garden, and yard, follow application instructions carefully and choose the least toxic product. Pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides that meet the standards for use in organic gardens generally are less toxic to people and other creatures, and break down rapidly once applied. Whether washing your car or hosing dirt off your driveway, be sure to direct the runoff into your yard instead of the storm drain. Remember, we all live downstream.

6) WAYS TO HELP

6a) Lane County Fair Booth!Summer is here and it is fair time! The Lane County Fair is in August 13-15. The five local watershed councils will host a booth together. Please come help mind the booth and tell people about the watershed, and your experiences with the Long Tom Watershed Council. We have a map for people to locate themselves in the watershed and other materials to help you prepare for this. It's pretty easy and you'll be working with one other volunteer.

Each volunteer will get an all day pass to the fair for the day they participate. This means a free concert! We need two people per block. If these time slots do not fit your schedule, let me know and I will try to find a time that works for you. Please contact Michele at micstowe@yahoo.com, or call 521-5378.

For more information, call 682-4850 or email lorna.j.baldwin@ci.eugene.or.us.Also, work parties starting at 10:00 a.m. at the following sites:Jiffy Mart on East Amazon & E. 33rd ANDAmazon Running Trail at E. 24th ANDAmazon Oakpatch and Amazon CreekOther sites will be announced at the kick off at Patterson School.

6c) Do you have western pond turtles living on your land?

Paul Adamus is working with the Western Pond Turtle Working Group to understand the health of the of the turtle population in the Willamette Basin. Our council approved their grant proposal to do this last year. He is currently seeking permission from additional landowners to conduct a visual survey for turtles on their property.To date, he has surveyed approximately 40 sites (ponds and river crossings) in the Long Tom watershed, excluding the area around Fern Ridge Reservoir (which another scientist, Kat Beal, is covering). His site visits have consisted entirely of visual surveys conducted from the roadside. He has found pond turtles at 3 sites, 2 of which were already known to have them. He will be revisiting a subset of the 40 sites this summer to check again for turtles he might have missed during the first visit. He will provide the Council with his findings when he completes the study.So far, he has been contacted by 3 private landowners in the watershed They've all told him they have turtles on their land. He will visit with them this summer to confirm that.If you have western pond turtles on your land or would like to know if your land has sites that are desirable for this study you may contactPaul Adamus @ (541) 745-7092 or at adamus7@attbi.com.

7) ANNOUNCEMENTS

Technical MeetingWILLAMETTE "STATE OF THE KNOWLEDGE" SUMMITMay 29 and 30 at the LaSells Stewart Center in Corvallis OregonThe foundation for the Summit is data and science. It is mostly for DEQ staff but may be of interest to those interested in the technical side of water quality in the Willamette Basin.Map and directions can be found on the website: http://oregonstate.edu/dept/lasells/index.html or call the DEQ (Eugene) 686-7888

Willamette Basin Groundwater StudyThe May 23, 2002 quarterly meeting for the Willamette Basin Groundwater Study has been cancelled.The tentative new date for the next quarterly meeting isThursday, August 22, 2002 9:30 a.m. Conference Room D (Top Floor) Water Resources Dept.158 12th St. NE, Salem, OregonThe Willamette Basin Ground Water Study is a cooperative investigation into the ground water resources of the Willamette Valley. The main goals of the study are to evaluate the adequacy of ground water supplies for current and proposed appropriations, the impact of ground water withdrawals on surface water supplies, and the occurrence of arsenic in ground waters of the valley. For more information, please see our web page at oregon.usgs.gov/projs_dir/willgw/willpage.html.Karl Wozniak, Hydrogeologist , OR Water Resources Dept. 503-378-8455, x213 email

Kate Ferschweiler McKenzie Watershed Coucil Working with High School students and teachers; newsletters and event displays.

Diane Albino Mohawk Watershed Partnership of the McKenzie Watershed Council Adult education: working with land owners; organizing and presenting workshops and tours.

9) MINTUES FROM APRIL COUNCIL MEETING

Long Tom Watershed Council Meeting4-30-02

1. Welcome and Introductions - Rick Allison

2. Please give feedback on the meeting - comment cards are in the back

3. Howard Schussler reviewed agenda - no changes

4. Andy Gilmore presented the Amazon Creek restoration project report. He presented a storyboard that summarizes why the project was done. The first function was to create braided channels to help deal with major events. The second function was to increase riparian vegetation both for wildlife and stream protection. The third function was to add educational opportunities by creating little interpretation stations along the bike path. The project is located between Acorn Park and Oak Patch Rd. It has been very successful in its objectives and the Amazon is improving noticeably.

5. Recommendation for formal organization structure - Anna Delocis. The Steering committee recommendation for a formal structure is to pursue the current working relationship with Cascade RC&D, our current fiscal agent, and not from a non-profit organization. Background: currently we're a volunteer group that uses Cascade RC&D and contractors. The watershed council wanted to look at obtaining funding and other options by changing our status. Many reasons for this recommendation including but not limited to: 1) Looked at IRS regulations 2) Asked contractors questions about their needs 3) Explored our relationship with Cascade RC&D - they can receive grants from foundations for us, which in our current status is something we couldn't do. That's why we looked into changing. 4) Non-profit takes more administration and cost to deal with it. There was council consensus to accept the steering committee's recommendation.

6. Evaluate Contaminants to the AmazonCindy gave the intro to the ongoing project of which issues to focus on from the watershed assessment. January meeting we discussed water quality issues with Amazon Creek. A working group that formed has met twice to craft language for ecological objectives. Tonight we'll discuss topics from agenda packet that was in the mail. The working group will continue and will meet again June 10 - open to anyone interested.Andy Gilmore gave the working group report. Basically there are 7 objectives to consider, and they need to be contained in a workable size.1) Temperature2) Dissolve oxygen3) Bacteria4) Nutrient loading5) Understand the chemistry of the creek6) Reduce toxic discharge7) TurbiditySeveral of these objectives have state guidelines, but some don't. Some ideas were for temperature - reduce the number of days exceeding 64 degrees F. Court had a good idea that we should make it a positive sounding objective for the public. For instance instead of reducing days above 64 degrees, increase days below 64 degrees. About 1/2 of these objectives don't make state guidelines.Brainstorm session:The state is about to issue a TMDL list for local creeks that could help us determine what to fix.One issue it that we need to target specific reaches of the Amazon, because some differ from others.The soils of Eugene contribute certain chemicals to the system - a background level to reference is important.We should look at Mill Creek in Salem to compare to Amazon to see how chemical levels compare in urban streams.There really isn't enough historical data to compare trends in the Amazon.Some levels of toxins are hard to detect, but are important to know.A great attention grabber is to tell the public that if you're swimming in Fern Ridge, you're swimming in the garbage that your neighbor just hosed off of their driveway.

7. Steering Committee Report - Anita RaganDebriefed on how council meetings are goingTalked about the organizational structure of the LTWCBrainstormed how to deal with ideas coming in without casting it all upon Dana & Cindy.Coordinator's Report - CindyFound out OWEB matched $1000 of McKenzie River Trust's donation - will help with map makingCindy got 2 projects recommended for funding.Announcements:There's a flyer for cleanup at Fern Ridge at Orchard Point and Richardson Park - Sat. May 18 at 9:00 am. Bar-b-cue to follow. Contact Michelle Stowe if you're interested.East Lane Soil and Water Conservation District is sponsoring an outreach seminar June 6 7-9 PM at the Irving Grange on Irvington Drive.11th annual Amazon appreciation day is June 1 at 9:00 am. Meet at Patterson school.Track Town Pizza will provide pizza.

Comments on meeting?Another avenue for consensus for those that want to give a sideways thumb because they need more info, but don't necessarily want to hold up the group.Bring a friend.

Recorded by Jim Neef

Directions

To meetings in Lower Long Tom at Monroe High School Commons:On any Oregon or area map, you'll see Monroe is on Highway 99W, in between Corvallis and Junction City. The High School is at the north end of town, right on that main highway. It sits on the east side of the road. The Commons is the building on the north side of the main school - it has orange doors and you can't miss it. The parking lot is in between the two buildings.